Fire alarm



July 1'8, 1939. .1. J. PIPER 2,166,264

FIRE ALARM Filed March 29, 19:58

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Patented .uly 18, '1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FIRE ALARM James J. Piper, Spokane, Wash.

Application March 29, 1938, Serial No. 198,777

2 Claims. (Cl. 200-81) This invention relates to a valve actuated lire terial which is adapted to be melted with a fire alarm and has as one of its objects to provide occurs and allow discharge of water from the a device of this character wherein a valve sprinkler heads. l mounted in the pipe line of a sprinkler system A valve 3 is mounted in the pipe line and has a 5 has means associated therewith for closing a casing 4 formed of strong cast metal. This cas- 5 circuit through an alarm and energizing the ing has the usual necks 5 for engagement with same when a fusible closure or seal for a sprinsections of the pipe line and also a neck 6 with kler head is melted and water ilows through the which a hood l has threaded engagement, as pipe line. shown in Fig. 2. Partitions 8 and 3 are formed l0 Another object of the invention is to provide within the casing or valve housing between the 10 a valve adapted to be mounted in the pipe line necks 5, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and define a and having a slidable stem adapted to be moved central well or chamber I9. The chamber l0 is by pressure of flowing water in the pipe line located directly under the neck 6 and the wall when the fusible seal is melted and effect move- 8 extends the full diameter of the outlet neck ment of acontact member into bridging engagewhile the wall 9 terminates short of the upper 15 ment with spaced stationary contacts to close the portion of the inlet neck. Ports Il are formed circuit through an alarm bell. through the wall 8 and the space between the Another object of the invention is to provide upper edge of the wall 9 and the upper portion a device of this character wherein the stationary of the inlet neck provides a passage l2 through contacts are insulated from each other and carwhich water may flow. Therefore, under cer- 20 ried by a support which is carried by the valve tain conditions, water may enter the chamber casing and serves not only as a support for the l0 through the passage I2 and pass out of the stationary contacts but also as a guide for the chamber through the ports Il. This will only shank of the movable contact, thus providing occur when the seal of one of the sprinkler heads a circuit closing unit which can be easily asis melted so that water may discharge and eX- sembled and applied to the valve casing. tinguish a fire.

Another object of the invention is to provide A valve stern I3 is slidably mounted through a circuit breaker and maker which is disposed the hood 'l with its inner end DOTT/10H eXeIldover the valve stem with the shank of its moving inte the Chamber l0 and Carrying 2 piston able Contact, in alinement with the valve stem I4 which is slidable longitudinally in the cham- 30 so that the valve stem may hold the movable ber and when in the position shown in Fig. 2, contact in its opened position and this contact COIlSt'llteS a barrier betWeen the Open OP 0f be moved to a closed position by a spring surthe chamber and the ports ll fefmed through rounding its shank when the valve stem is moved the Wall 8. A collar or ring l5 Carried by the toa retracted position. stem serves to limit outward movement of the 35 Another object of the invention is to provide Stem by engagement With the hood. When all a device of this character which may be very 0f the Sprinkler heads are Sealed, Water pressure easily installed in the pipe line of a sprinkler Will be applied t0 both feCeS O' the DStOIl but already in use in a building. as there is more lower area than upper area the 40 The invention is illustrated in the accompanywater pressure will Cause the piston t0 be main- 4o ing drawing, wherein: tained in the raised position. As soon as the Fig. l is a senil-diagrammatic View showing seal for one or more of the sprinkler heads is the signal mechanism installed in the pipe line melted S0 that Water may be dSCheTged, the 0f e, sprinkler system, piston is relieved of pressure against its under Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken longitudinally face and it will move downwardly so that the 45 through the valve and the circuit maker and DONS il Will be eXDOSed and Water may ow breaker carried thereby. through the pipes and be discharged from the Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line Spllrlkler heads- 3 3 of Fjg 2 The circuit maker and breaker is carried by The sprinkler system with which the fire the valve and operatively associated with the 50 alarm has been shown has the usual pipe line l stem and, referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be which may be of any length found necessary and seen that the post or standard I6 is disposed to is equipped with a suitable number of branch one side of the stem parallel thereto and has its pipes 2 in which are disposed sprinklers 3 havlower or inner end screwed into an arm Il prou ing seals of soft solder or other easily fused majecting laterally from the hood 1. A cross head or side arm I8, which may be referred to as a bracket, has one end formed with a threaded opening to receive the upper or outer end of the standard I6 and this side arm` carries upper and lower blocks of insulation I9 and 20 which shield the side arm and engage opposite ends of bushings 2I which are also formed of insulation and pass through openings formed through the side arm adjacent the free end thereof. Stationary contacts 22 pass through the insulating strips or blocks I9 and 20 and through the bushings 2I and have large heads at their upper ends which bear against the strip I 9 while their lower ends carry nuts 23 which, when tightened, will secure the terminals of the conductor wires 24 against strip in tight binding engagement with the Shanks of the contacts. The conductor wires 24 lead from the power wires 25 and sections of one of these wires 24 are secured to terminal posts of an electric bell 26 which may be mounted at any convenient place where it will be clearly heard when it rings.

When this improved re alarm is installed, the valve is mounted in the pipe line, the bell is mounted in a selected location and the conductor wires 24 connected with the power wires in an approved manner, a transformer 2l being interposed in the conductor wires so that the proper current will be delivered to the bell when a circuit is established through the bell. Ordinarily, the sprinkler heads are sealed and the piston i@ remains `in the elevated position andthe movable contact orbridge willbe held out of engagement with the stationary contacts 22.

The movable contact has a shank 29 which is slidably engaged through the bracket arm i 8 and insulating strips I9 and 20, andthe lower end of the shank is threaded to receive a nut 35i against which bears the lower end of a spring 3| which is coiled about the shank and at its upper end bears4 against the insulating block 2d. The movable contact will thus be urged downwardly and the washer 32 of insulating material will be maintained in engagement with the upper end of the stem I3. As thetapered lower end of the shank is disposed within the hollow upper end portionr of the stem, lateral movement of the stern and the shank of the movable contact will be prevented and they will be kept in proper engagement with each other.

As'long as the seals for the sprinkler heads are intact, the piston will be held in the raised position but when the seal of one of the sprinkler heads is melted and water ilows from the sprinkler head, pressure under the piston will be relieved and water entering the valve housing and passing through the passage I2, will act upon the upper face of the piston to force the piston downwardly. The stem I3 is carried downwardly with the pisto-n and, as it moves downwardly, the spring 3l will cause the movable contact to be shifted downwardly until its head is moved into engagement with the heads of the stationary contacts. C`urrent may then flow from one stationary contact to the other and a circuit will be completed through the electric bell to cause the bell to ring and sound an alarm. It will thus be seen that an audible alarm will be sounded whenever water is discharged to extinguish a re and a watchman or other attendant will be warned of the fact that a fire has broken out in the building under his care. In case the signal bell is located in a re house, the engines will be dispatched to extinguish the fire. After the re has been extinguished, the sprinkler head will again` be sealed and the piston and stem returned to the raised position for cutting off ow of Water through the valve housing and moving the movable contact out of bridging engagement with the stationary contacts.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A circuit closer comprising a casing having a fluid inlet and a uid outlet and a cylindrical chamber between the same, a removable hood for said casing disposed over said chamber in axial alinernent therewith, a side arm extending from said hood, a piston slidable in said chamber and having a stem projecting from the casing through said hood, a support carried by said arm and extending therefrom longitudinally of the stem in spaced relation to one side thereof, a bracket carried by said support and extending laterally therefrom transversely of the stem across the outer end thereof, stationary contacts carried by said bracket in insulated relation to the same and to each other, a movable contact for bridging the stationary contacts having a shank slidable through said bracket between the stationary contacts and aligned with said stem, an abutment nut threaded upon said shank, an insulating washer about said shank disposed between the abutment and said stem, and a spring about said shank engaging the abutment and urging the shank toward the stem to maintain the insulating washer in engagement with the outer end of said stem.

2. A circuit'closer comprising a casing having an inlet and an outlet and a cylindrical chamber therebetween, said chamber having a wall portion formed with ports communicating with the outlet and an opposed wall portion across the inlet terminating in spaced relation to the top of the casing to provide a passage between the chamber and the inlet, a removable hood carried by said casing over said chamber, a piston slidable in said chamber from a position above the ports to a lowered position exposing portions of the ports above the piston, a stem for said piston slidable longitudinally through the hood, insulated stationary contacts supporting means for said contacts carried by said hood, and a movable contact slidably mounted through the supporting means between the stationary contacts and engaging the stem in insulated relation thereto and adapted to be shifted longitudinally through the hood with the stem to move the movable contact out of engagement with the stationary contacts when the piston is in its normal position above the ports.

JAMES J. PIPER. 

